Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to rely on a backup quarterback to step in and get the job done.
Except this time it wasn’t Michael Vick or Landry Jones asked to come to the rescue, it was one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League.
From emergency backup to a record-setting performance over the course of a picture perfect day at Heinz Field, Ben Roethlisberger was able to overcome a nagging foot injury to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a decisive 30-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Time for another installment of three up, three down as the Steelers head into the bye week.
Three up:
*The decision by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to activate Ben Roethlisberger as the backup quarterback despite of a lingering foot injury was the hot button topic in the hours before kickoff. The decision looked pretty smart and found merit early in the first quarter after starter Landry Jones was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury.
Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, Roethlisberger did not disappoint. Roethlisberger would set a new NFL record for the most yards passing in a relief appearance with 379 along with three touchdown strikes on the day. Considering the limited practice time during the week, Roethlisberger was exceptional despite of not being sharp on a number of throws he normally completes. Gold star for the day indeed, Mr. Roethlisberger.
*The tandem of Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant were the biggest beneficiaries of Roethlisberger’s surprise insertion into the lineup and showed that when they are clicking, they could be the best 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the game. Brown once again had double-digit catches with 10, and finished the day with 139 yards and two TD’s.
Brown’s dazzling 56-yard touchdown grab will be remembered more for the front flip in the end zone (perfect landing) and the post game reaction of Roethlisberger, who reminded Brown that flips should be a no-go in the future.
Bryant took advantage of a depleted Browns secondary to the tune of six catches for 178 yards that included a 32-yard touchdown. Performances like this show what a game-changing player Bryant can be and if can build on this performance down the stretch, it could make the Steelers offense even harder to contain.
*Although the defense was far from perfect yesterday, the group held the Browns to a field goal through three quarters and held the Browns rushing offense to 15 total yards. This forced the Browns to rely on the arm of Johnny Manziel, who threw for a career high 372 yards but had two costly turnovers on the day and was sacked six times.
Safety Will Allen was exceptional, and nine of his eleven tackles were solo. Allen also had forced fumble and fellow safety Mike Mitchell has put together three straight outstanding games and notched his third interception of the year yesterday.
Lawrence Timmons added 10 tackles and also had a sack, while Sean Spence and Ryan Shazier split reps opposite Timmons, combining for 10 tackles while Shazier added a sack. Jarvis Jones had one of the more impressive plays of the day, knocking future Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas on his back with a bull rush that would lead to a sack.
Three down:
*Fade pattern on fourth down from inside the one? A lot of unnecessary criticism comes in the direction of offensive coordinator Todd Haley but that was just puzzling. Maybe Roethlisberger makes that call, but either way a low-percentage play like a fade in that situation is shaky at best.
*Credit the offensive line for keeping Roethlisberger clean most of the day, allowing only one sack. However, despite of facing the NFL’s worst rushing defense, the Steelers were only able to muster 60 yards on the ground. Center Cody Wallace had a particularly rough day and was beat with regularity inside, including in pass protection.
Primed for what most believed would be a huge day, DeAngelo Williams was rendered ineffective throughout, and many of his 54 yards on the ground came in the latter parts of the game when the game was no longer in doubt. The good news is it looks like Williams did not suffer any setbacks with his sore foot heading into the much needed bye week.
*It’s become abundantly clear that the Steelers Achilles heal might be their kickoff return game. For the second straight week, Jacoby Jones looked awful as the return specialist and he might want to consider a number change because 13 has been anything but lucky for both he and former Steelers returner Dri Archer.
Special teams coach Danny Smith is going to need to determine how to get production from this group during the bye week. If it’s a matter of making drastic changes, this might be the time to make it happen.
